The New Garmin VivoSmart HR Fitness Tracker

Garmin is a name highly revered amongst outdoor athletes and for good reason, they were one of the first to design fitness tracking technology. Now Garmin has created the vivosmart HR fitness tracker, which is proving to be tough competition for Jawbone and Fitbit.

This touchscreen unit monitors heart rate, step counter and activity intensity. Plus users can also receive text, calls, email, calendar and social media alerts and control music when paired with a compatible smartphone. This new vivosmart has added biometrics and an upgraded sleep-tracking feature. The sleek band is lightweight and comfortable to wear all day, plus the screen doubles as a watch and is easy to read even in bright sunlight. The reminder feature keeps you active with a vibration alert, which is quite a strong sensation.

exercise

Heart Rate Monitor

vívosmart HR smart has Elevate™ heart rate technology, which measures your resting and active heart rate 24 hours a day. This feature has been found to be more accurate than other wearables. Using heart rate, vívosmart HR calculates calories burned information and gives you encouraging feedback according to the intensity of your workout. This feature lets you monitor your progress against activity goals.

Step Up

In addition to measuring steps and distance, vívosmart HR includes a nifty barometric altimeter to calculate the height you have ascended, either on the mountain or in your office block. With this, it can assess the number of flights of stairs you climbed that day.

Swimwear

Unlike many other wearables, the Garmin vivosmart HR has a 5 ATM waterproofing rating, which means it’s good for the pool and wearing in the shower.

Sleep Tracking

The HR will start tracking sleep automatically, which was not part of the previous version. The app shows the details of each days sleep, as well as a weekly breakdown of your sleep quality. You get a graph showing time spent in light and deep sleep, as well as a second chart plotting movement. Unfortunately, the Vivosmart HR doesn’t utilise the heart rate tech much during sleep, so there’s little information on REM sleep.

Smart Capabilities

Staying connected is easy with the notification feature. Each time you receive a message on your smartphone it gently vibrates and automatically displays the information. Simply touch and swipe the screen to read more. Other connected features allow you to control music and it can even find your misplaced phone. The battery lasts five days, covering your busy week before it needs recharging.

Personally, I love the idea of having a watch that monitors my wellness routine, as well as not having to look at my phone every time I hear a message. The Garmin Vivosmart HR is clearly a great fitness motivator as well as adding more efficiency into ones life.

The Author

Kheyrne Danu

About the author: Kheyrne Danu has spent the last seven years working with women through personal coaching and workshops on natural wellness; she is also the brainchild of the Super Thrive brand, a natural product for stress support. Kheyrne first studied interior design, but soon switched to natural wellness, a subject that has fascinated her for over 16 years. She also trained as a kinesiologist, a doula and yoga instructor, as well as being a professional dance teacher and bodywork practitioner. Kheyrne feels that life really shines through when one has a great understanding of and relationship with one’s own body. She is a writer for Longevity magazine.